Hello Friends and Happy Monday, I trust you all had a wonderful weekend!

If you read my post on Saturday you know I went to Goodwill for their annual 50% off sale and it was like a department store’s Grand Opening. The place was PACKED, there were long lines waiting for the dressing rooms, people pushing full carts of clothing, laughter and excitement when new items with tags were found and clerks rolling out full racks every 5 minutes, it was an amazing sight to see. Although I had only planned to go to Middletown, I kinda sorta wished I had also driven down to Smyrna and Dover.

I did however go with the purpose of getting an “I Love Thrifting” t-shirt, which Goodwill introduced earlier this month for $12.00. I have never ever purchased an item at Goodwill for that much, but the $12 cost for t-shirt is supporting a worthy cause and I am a proud Goodwill VIP who loves to thrift!

I was also intent on finding clothing for the Fall because I have more than enough shorts, tanks and skirts for the summer season which is rapidly coming to an end. I thrifted a dress, 2 tops, a pair of culottes and two maxi skirts all for under $14.00 – #winning

I can’t wait for the next big sale and if you are not a Goodwill VIP, it’s free to sign up and you’ll receive emails with dates for these events.

Is your palate stuck in a rut…do you find yourself always ordering the same foods…pizza, cheese steaks or Chinese takeout? Do you want something different while supporting a new local business, then I suggest you try Swahili Kitchenon Main Street in Middletown.

Swahili Kitchen specializes in East African cuisine, specifically recipes from Tanzania, and although the menu is new it’s actually the second part of Manhattan Bagel, also owned by Rishen Patel and his wife Heeral.

The concept of adding a different offering in an already thriving breakfast business was a great idea, Rishen stated that after 2 p.m. no one was coming in to buy bagels so he decided to offer his native foods. In Middletown you can find every type of food except African style which is what motivated the Patels to open Swahili Kitchen.

On Sunday, hubby and I stopped in and decided to try the chicken and beef items from the promotional menu, which also included Pork Kebabs, but you know we don’t eat pork. If you like mildly spicy foods you will definitely enjoy the Chicken dishes, especially the marinated leg quarters called Sekela. There was just the right balance of seasoning including curry and the chips weren’t soggy even with the veggie topping. The promotional prices, currently $5 and under were very reasonable considering the portion sizes which were more than enough for leftovers.

The Chicken Mishkaki is listed as being served on a skewer, but since we had take out it was simply placed in a Styrofoam container. The Tamarind Sauce was a perfect compliment to this dish of very tender chicken cubes, potatoes, green peppers and onions slices.

What are called “chips” in Africa are actually what we call “fries”, and they are topped with a veggie mix of shredded carrots, cabbage and red onions and a perfect blend of spices.

Chicken Pili Pili is a spicy BBQ leg quarter served with white rice and coleslaw

Dinner was excellent and the side sauce added just the right amount of “fire” for me!

So this weekend if you are in the mood for something different head over to Swahili Kitchen which is located at 400 W. Main St. and their hours of operation are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday (closed Monday)

In my current job I no longer have much of an opportunity to travel and my daily commute from Middletown, DE to West Chester, PA can be quite boring. Yesterday I had the chance to make a site visit to Marlton, NJ, or as I like to call it, “Exit 4 on the Jersey Turnpike”. Not to say that driving straight away on the turnpike wasn’t boring because it was, what made it all worthwhile was the location itself.

The building is surrounded with a man made pond that has ducks, a fountain and beautiful flora. The Atrium is also serene and peaceful with tall palm trees, plants and flowers. I think coming into this building on a daily would put anyone in the right frame of mind no matter what the traffic was like in getting there. Here are just a few pictures of the outside, I will post the interior shots tomorrow.

Quasi Botanical Gardens

Blouse – Walmart // Capris – GW Boutique // Sandals -Rainbow Shop

There are tables and chairs if you want to sit outside to have lunch or just enjoy the view

Today for my son’s 21st birthday all he wanted was money and to go bowling, oh and he also mentioned something about a beer. Well he got the money, but not the beer…with his father being a Muslim he knew that wasn’t happening. We did however, go to Mid County Lanes in Middletown and had a great time…at least I did.

Now that my sons are getting older I am beginning to really miss the days when we had family fun time, so today was also a gift to me, a gift for my “giving birth day”!

Hello friends, I hope you had a wonderful Saturday, it was a beautiful day here in Delaware.

Once again, prayers going out to those affected by the tornado in Oklahoma City.

Today was the first Saturday of the month which meant only one thing, selling at the Dutch Country Farmers Flea Market. It was a good day despite the intense sun rays that gave me a severe sunburn on my chest and back. I sat under an umbrella most of the day but assisting and talking to customers was more than enough for those ultraviolet rays to do their damage!